5 minute read
SNAPSHOT—Chicago’s Mis Moles
MIS MOLES RESTAURANTE “KING OF MOLE” debuts new concept during Covid
–CHEF GENO BAHENA
Chef Geno Bahena and General Manager Branko Prodrumedzic
| BY KATHLEEN FURORE | Soon after COVID-19 had shuttered pretty much everything in Chicago last March, my phone rang from a number I didn’t recognize. I usually don’t answer those calls, but something made me take this one—and I was glad I did.
“Hola Kathy, do you know who this is?” said a familiar but not-quite-recognizable voice on the other end of the line. My first guess wasn’t correct; thankfully the caller let me off the hook: “It’s Chef Geno.”
And at that, Chef Geno Bahena and I launched into a 30-minute conversation, the upshot being that he had returned to Chicago and was opening a Mexican restaurant in the midst of the pandemic.
While our conversation took many twists and turns, that Bahena was banking on a new culinary concept didn’t surprise me. After all, he had headed multiple concepts—too many for me to remember—since our paths first crossed when el Restaurante debuted more than two decades ago.
Now he was back, working with Branko Podrumedzic to transform Podrumedzic’s Little Bucharest restaurant, a
long-time fixture in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, into a destination for upscale Mexican cuisine. The restaurant would be called Mis Moles in honor of the national dish of Mexico—the dish for which Bahena (affectionately called the “King of Mole”) is known.
But during a pandemic that had the whole world on lockdown?
“I have been working on this for a while—since before the pandemic. You don’t decide to open a new restaurant and then it happens right away,” Bahena told me, noting that his mom had threatened to move back to Mexico if he didn’t move back to Chicago from the Boston area, where he had been chef de cuisine at Blue Dalia, a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar led by Chef Roberto Santibañez at a Wegmans Food Market in Natick, Massachusetts.
So here he was, enlivening the existing storefront space with Mexican-inspired wall art, planning a menu, and communicating with the powers that be—all via email—to get the appropriate permits from the City of Chicago (never an easy task!).
The hard work and determination not to let anything stop him paid off; the Facebook post that popped up just after the restaurant opened in early June summed up the Mis Moles team’s attitude:
“We’ve opened Mis Moles Restaurante…and we say that there is never the wrong time to fulfill your dreams!”
In mid-October, Publisher Ed Avis and I decided to stop by Mis Moles for an early Wednesday evening dinner on the patio. We chatted with Bahena, who told us things were going well, especially since he had been able to open inside for socially distanced dining. By the time we’d devoured our Chicken in Mole Verde and Smoked Pork Chop in Mole Negro—along with delicious appetizers and desserts—the patio was filling with customers and a few tables, spread 6
Duck Breast in Green Mole
Duck in Mole Manchamanteles
feet apart, were occupied in the dining room inside.
Bahena told us that when he opened, he was offering one mole per day, but so many people started asking for particular moles that he now keeps multiple moles on the menu at all times. In addition to the amazing Mole Verde (made with tomatillos, cilantro, epazote and pumpkinseeds) and Mole Negro (made with 28 ingredients, including chile chihuacle, mulatos, pasilla, and a variety of seeds, spices, and nuts) that Ed and I enjoyed, popular varieties include Mole Manchamanteles (made with chorizo, chile ancho, plantains, pineapple and sweet potato), and Mole Rojo (chiles ancho, guajillo, many herbs and spices, tomatoes, tomatillos, plantains, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and a
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Borrego in Black Mole
little Mexican chocolate).
Sadly, as this issue went to press, Chicago’s Covid numbers were spiking and restaurants were ordered to close for indoor dining once again…and the message Bahena shared just before opening Mis Moles was as pertinent today as it was five long months ago:
To Our Amazing Patrons, Friends and Co-Workers, As always, I am thankful for all of you who have made me and my restaurants a part of your family. And I assure you, I also feel you are a member of mine. Over the years, we have weathered many storms together and I’m certain that, once again, we will get through this challenging time. I wanted to let you know that your health and safety have always been, and remain, a top priority. Each of our restaurants has professionally trained chefs and managers who are experienced in the best practices of food handling and preparation. Elbow bumps—which many of you are becoming familiar with lately—have long been a standard greeting for our staffs. And rigorous sanitary practices continue to be an essential ingredient in our kitchens and dining areas. In the meantime, if you want to enjoy some nourishing food, we are here for you, or in the comfort of home, we are here for you….Most of all— stay safe. Hug your kids. Remain positive. Help each other. Remember, this too shall pass. Sending love to you all.
